State Highlights

Senator John McCain’s win in Arkansas ended the state’s record of voting for the winners of the last nine presidential elections.

And while nationally, young voters overwhelmingly preferred Mr. Obama, in Arkansas, they were evenly split, according to exit polls.

None of the Congressional incumbents in Arkansas faced an opponent from a major party, and one candidate, Representative Marion Berry, a Democrat, ran unopposed. Senator Mark Pryor, a Democrat, easily defeated his Green Party challenger, Rebekah Kennedy, a lawyer from Fort Smith.

Representative John Boozman, a Republican, beat the Green Party candidate, Abel Noah Tomlinson, a graduate student at the University of Arkansas.

Voters approved five ballot measures, including one intended to prevent same-sex couples from becoming foster or adoptive parents. In 2004, state voters banned gay marriage.

Also passing was a measure that would establish state lotteries to finance college scholarships, and another to eliminate outdated words that were considered offensive, including “insane,” from the Arkansas Constitution when referring to voters. It would also eliminate references to a poll tax. KAREEM FAHIM